Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 30, 2025.
Nathan Howard | Reuters
Shares of vaccine corporations fell on Tuesday after a Senate panel voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to guide the Department of Health and Human Services to the total chamber.Â
The committee voted 14 to 13 to advance Kennedy in a party-line vote around 10:30 a.m. ET.
Moderna‘s stock closed about 6% lower and shares of BioNTech dropped nearly 2%. Pfizer‘s stock closed greater than 1% lower, even after the corporate reported fourth-quarter results that topped expectations. Their shares initially fell by larger margins following the Senate committee vote, then regained some ground.
Kennedy, 71, is a notorious vaccine skeptic, making false claims that they’re linked to autism despite many years of studies that debunk that association. But Kennedy, during Senate confirmation hearings last week, contended that he isn’t “anti-vaccine.”Â
Kennedy can also be the founding father of the nonprofit Kid’s Health Defense, probably the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization within the U.S. In a government ethics agreement last month, he said he stopped serving as chairman or chief legal counsel for the organization as of December.
If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would oversee federal health agencies that regulate vaccines and other drugs. Some health policy experts have raised concerns about Kennedy using his recent potential platform to spread anti-vaccine rhetoric and deter Americans from receiving really useful shots at a time when vaccination rates are already falling, especially amongst children.
During an industry conference in January, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric is in “complete contradiction” with what the corporate, regulators and the medical and scientific community consider.
